This week, OSTP staff visited the main campus of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), where scientists spend their lives developing and calibrating the measurement standards that we rely on every day. By ensuring the accuracy and consistency of measurement standards, NIST makes reliable science possible.

Over the past 60 years, the United States has been a leader in the development and deployment of cutting-edge computing systems. Today, President Obama issued an Executive Order establishing the National Strategic Computing Initiative (NSCI) to ensure the United States continues leading in this field over the coming decades.

Last week, New Orleans held an event to preview three datasets on policing they plan to open to the general public. This event was part of the City's contributions to the Police Data Initiative, launched in response to recommendations from the President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing.

In 2012, the White House, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology launched the Green Button Initiative, providing American businesses and families with simple and secure access to their energy consumption data in a standardized format. This effort has since grown significantly in size and sophistication.

FEATURED TOPICS

CLIMATE ACTION PLAN:
On June 25, 2013, President Obama laid out his comprehensive plan for steady action to reduce greenhouse gas pollution in America, prepare our country for the impacts of climate change, and lead global efforts to fight it. The Plan is a recognition that climate change is unequivocal, its primary cause is greenhouse gas pollution, and it is threatening the health of our communities, families, and economy. Learn more:

OPEN DATA:
On May 9, 2013, President Obama signed an Executive Order directing historic steps to make government-held data more accessible to the public and to entrepreneurs and others as fuel for innovation and economic growth. That same day, the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published a landmark policy to help implement the Executive Order. Learn more:

2013 WHITE HOUSE SCIENCE FAIR:
On April 22, 2013, President Obama hosted 100 student innovators from more than 40 states for the third-ever White House Science Fair. The event was a celebration of amazing and award-winning student-achievements in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. The cohort of kids included app-coders, algae-growers, video-game designers, city-planners, roboticists, and rocket-scientists—most of them not yet old enough to drive. Learn more:

STEM EDUCATION:
On February 13, 2013, OSTP hosted the first-ever White House State of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (SoSTEM) event, where nearly 100 middle- and high-schoolers spent an hour asking STEM-centric questions to some of the Nation’s top S&T innovators. The event highlighted the Obama Administration’s ongoing work to expand participation of American youth in STEM studies and equip the Nation’s future innovators with the skills they need to succeed in STEM careers. Learn more: